Its 2017, the Second American Civil War is underway and the last safe place in the country is Fort Steel Harbour, but if you want to get there alive, youll require the services of Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson), a nightclub owner who moonlights as a bounty hunter in a slow month and will kill any man that calls her babe. Even Roger Ebert conceded that the movie has a high energy level and a sense of deranged fun, but most viewers disagreed and stayed away. The Razzies salted those wounds with nominations for Worst Actress/Original Song/Picture/Screen Couple, plus a win for Pammy as Worst New Star. Its easy to mock Anderson, but since her character is basically a dominatrix with a machine gun, she's never called upon to emote and with her in the lead you know youll have to leave your grey matter at home. Taking its visual cues from previous comic book adaptation The Crow, Barb Wire knows its B-grade material and never attempts to take itself too seriously. Its one of Hollywoods more honest pictures - it promises trash and delivers it.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
